Gabriel Boric becomes Chile's youngest president
Left-wing candidate Gabriel Boric, 35, won a surprise victory over his far-right opponent in Chile's presidential election with nearly 56% of the vote.
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| Chilean President-elect Gabriel Boric speaks to supporters in the capital Santiago on December 16. Photo: AFP. |
"I will do my best to overcome this great challenge," Boric said after winning the election on December 19, thanking the Chilean people for placing their trust in him.
Boric, a former student activist, became Chile's youngest president with a pledge to create a "welfare state", raising taxes and social spending in one of the world's most unequal countries.
Boric won against ultra-conservative Jose Antonio Kast, who won 44% of the vote. Kast tweeted his congratulations to Boric even before the election results were announced.
"I just spoke with him and I congratulated him on his great victory. From today onwards, Boric is the elected President of Chile, deserving all our respect and constructive cooperation. Chile always comes first," Kast said.
People took to the streets of the capital Santiago to celebrate after Boric was declared the new president. They honked their car horns, brandished pro-Boric banners, waved multi-colored LGBTQ flags and shouted: "Long live Chile!" Some people set off fireworks in celebration.
"I'm so emotional and crying with joy. We've struck a blow against fascism!" said pharmacy worker Jennie Enriquez, 45.
"I'm happy that there are going to be a lot of changes that will help the people and the working class," said construction worker Luis Astorga, 58.
The new president will face the daunting task of healing a society reeling from a polarizing campaign of hate attacks and fake news. Boric reiterated his plan on December 19 to build “a more humane, dignified and egalitarian Chile.”
"We have hope, we believe that we are entering another phase in Chile, a phase where we can experiment with the concept of the welfare state," said Sebastian Vera, a 35-year-old history teacher who supports Boric.
President Sebastian Pinera, who left office with low approval ratings, said the country was living in a "highly polarized, confrontational and contentious environment". Pinera urged his successor to never forget that he "will be the president of all Chileans, not just of his supporters".
